


Requested Short Fics - Degrassi

by Rakath



Category: Degrassi, Degrassi: Next Class
Genre: F/F, F/M, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-23
Updated: 2017-07-09
Packaged: 2018-09-19 12:55:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 18,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9441227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rakath/pseuds/Rakath
Summary: This is a collection of requests I got on Tumblr, that I did really quickly over the course of the past month. They are a collection of 1 or 2 shot fics. No continuity between them. Each chapter will have notes on setting/prompt.





	1. Index of Requests

  1. Index
  2. Strange Friendship - Hunter and Lola (no shipping)
  3. Heartbreak - Zoe, Grace, and Winston (hurt/comfort)
  4. Haunted - Esme (dealing with her home life)
  5. Evolution - Zoe and Grace (friendship)
  6. A Different Path - Miles and Lola (romantic)
  7. Remembrance - Miles and Lola (his picture sent during season 1)
  8. Corrections - Miles, Lola, Mrs. Hollingsworth (Miles coming out to his mom)
  9. Preparation - Lola and Shay (friendship)
  10. Hellfire - Zoe, Rasha, Lola (hurt/comfort)
  11. Interest - Miles, Hunter, Baaz, Lola (boners)
  12. Past - Bianca, Drew, Tiny (Exploring Tiny and Bianca's past)
  13. Nightmare - Zoe and Miles (Zoe has a nightmare)
  14. Caring - Frankie, Miles, Hunter, Esme (Miles arrives home drunk, his siblings have to take care of him)
  15. Ghosts - Esme and Zig (Esme is reminded of her mother)
  16. Opposites - Lola and Yael (Friendship)
  17. Catching Up - Miles and Zoe (Friendship)
  18. Truth and Misdirection - Drew and Zoe (Friendship and Not Having Sex)
  19. Girlfriends - Maya and Lola (Friendship)
  20. Something There - Frankie and Miles (about Frankie's feelings for Esme)
  21. Significant Other - Lola and Yael (Cute and Shippy)




	2. Strange Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request was for awkward friendship moment for Hunter and Lola.  
> Setting note: Season 3, post 309.

Hunter was not fond of the new dynamic in All Inclusive. Lola threw everything out of alignment, and it bothered him.

For a girl who had nothing in common with any of them, she managed to distract and throw off the entire group in one way or another. Yael had explained cosplay and the pair would, often, end up talking about how to create certain looks for conventions. Vijay and Lola were scarily similar in musical taste, occasionally their gossip turned to the orientations of classmates and celebrities. And Baaz just… kept trying to get a date, with zero results.

Hunter wanted to claim he was above her influence, but she’d shown a surprising ability to edit. Plus she was constantly asking to see his drawings, which he always did to get her to go away. …And because she always said nice things about them. Her tastes were as simple as they came, but she was always appreciate of details he didn’t expect.

Still, of Frankie’s stupid friends, Hunter had labeled her the most dangerous. She would obviously accidentally let a zombie in when the eventual apocalypse happened. Everything was just… off, while she was at meetings. And while Baaz had the best luck getting the group back on point, he was worthless at it while Lola was within reach.

But that wasn’t an issue for today, today he was home, house to himself. Mom was playing up to the cameras for dad, Frankie was doing something with Jonah, he didn’t want to know, and Miles had play stuff. So Hunter was set to make a snack, take his meds, and binge some Let’s Plays while he drew a ton of new character designs.

…Except what was Lola doing on his sofa, reading her phone. He also had to quickly turn away because Lola was laying on her stomach, it did… things… to her. Which in turn had some impact on him, again. “What are you doing here?”

Lola glanced over for half a second, something seemed off with the look in on her face, but her eyes were back on her phone right after. “Frankie and I had a project that needed work.”

“Isn’t she out with Jonah?”

“That’s what she just texted me when she wasn’t here. Normally she’s the one that’s all in on getting schoolwork done early.” There was a definite pout in her voice, Hunter hated girl drama. Part of why he loved Yael.

She hadn’t changed positions. And that skirt was skin tight in a way that he only thought was viable in video games. And- “Could you, um, sit up? Please.” That came out more desperate than he meant it.

Lola shot him another confused look, he caught the movement in the corner of his eye, before she looked at herself. Dangerously close to a boob-butt pose that Yael had issues with in his last cover design. All at once she realized what the problem was and sat up. Looking grossed out, her eyes moved down his body and the face got worse. Something Hunter didn’t think was even possible. And then she was definitely looking at her phone. “D-do I cause that a lot? For you?”

Hunter looked down to notice, yes, he was very visible and the next thing was Lola throwing a pillow to him. He quickly sat down and tried to think about the worst rendered frags he’d ever seen to get it to go down. “Not all the time. Just when you lean over to grab something from the center of the table. Or…”

“Lie down with my butt in the air?”

“Or that. It’s- I don’t want it.” He turned away to help expedite the process. Looking down and feeling like a complete scrub with this. How did he have so little control of his joystick?

“I know.”

“It isn’t that you’re not good looking, you know exactly what to do. And your suggestions on costume changes for some of my characters are great. Cause you definitely know how to dress for the fanservice. Not that I think you do it for boys, it’s just.”

“I know. You like Yael. It’s just… body things.” Lola had taken a separate pillow for herself. Probably because her neckline was a bit… low. He was trying not to think about that as he watched her face. Not looking at her, watching her. Watching how she expressed, it was part of his therapy to try and gauge reactions. Which was great in some head to head gaming, but that’s not here.

“Why do you do it, I mean… dress like that?” Hunter had never had a proper option to ask it. After last year most girls avoided him, Yael and Frankie were really it. Yael was not… well, she never did the things Lola and Frankie did. And Frankie was his twin, asking her would be awful. “Is it to mess with boys?”

“No!” Lola looked horrified at the suggestion. “I mean. It sorta happens sometimes. And I like it when I can walk past someone and their eyes follow me for a few moments. But… this is just how I want to be seen. I like being cute, I like people seeing me. This is also what I’m good at.”

Hunter was trying to figure out if he would never understand girls, or just Lola. Hunter hated being seen. What good did it do his siblings? Miles was seen as a screw-up, and Frankie would wear herself to death worrying about how people pictured her. Especially after bannergate. “How did you get good at make-up and fashion? Don’t you only live with your dad?”

Crap, he shouldn’t have said that. He watched her hesitate before looking way, guilt? He wanted it to be guilt. What he asked was beyond uncool. He hated when people just brought up his dad living across town.

"It was some of the wait staff at the Cantina,” She was going to answer him, she wasn’t mad? “I got boobs and dad had _no_  idea what to do about bras. He sent a waitress and a prep chef with the business credit card and they helped me learn about bras, accessories. The rest was from web tutorials and glamour mags.”

Hunters previous use of watching had been replaced with a less useful staring. That was a really personal answer. He’d assumed- he didn’t assume anything specific, he just thought girls learned about that stuff through osmosis. That it was a class skill they just received at a certain point. (Age 11, that was when Frankie got all weird.)

“Was mentioning my boobs weird? I mean the point is for you not to get all… uncomfortable.”

Hunter hadn’t registered boobs = sex until Lola pointed it out, which undid some of his efforts but he was pretty sure he wasn’t noticeable right now, “I’m fine, let’s just… talk about something else?”

“Or I can go home and worry about this project tomorrow?”

No.” Hunter wondered why he said no, her leaving would remove several problems. Including the one he just discovered that he was alone, with a girl, who was not his girlfriend. “No, I mean if you don’t have to go, and want to stay, you can…”

Ruin every plan at a night alone and productivity.

“Did you finish anymore pages on that Elven Commando book?” Lola shifted, brightening a little as if asking about art was the best idea in the world. Which… Hunter had to admit was a good, safe topic.

“Mostly more lines, I’ve spent the past week on character designs. They keep coming out… samey.”

“Maybe I can look at them? Give some suggestions?”

Hunter pretended to think about it. Lola wasn’t… his sense of style, but out of her suggestions one in four was in a strange language he didn’t understand (girly girl) and one was impractical to ink or color… but that still left her with 50% positive suggestions. “Sure… sounds good. Follow me.”

Hunter didn’t even realize he was leading Lola to his room, a space only two girls ever entered. Or the implications. All he was doing was re-evaluating his position on her impact to the group dynamic. Maybe it wasn’t the worst thing he’s had to deal with. Even if she was still a stupid girl, she wasn’t _that_  bad.


	3. Heartbreak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request was for Zoe being supported by friends after the events of Woke.  
> Setting Note: Season 3, after 309.

“Why did you call me?”

“Well, who else would I call?”

“Miles, Maya, one of her former cheer bots?”

“Miles is already driving himself to an early grave with Tristan and the play. Maya and I aren’t talking, and even if we were she’d flake and not show up. I don’t know how much Zoe even talks to those girls anymore. So that leaves you, her ex-beard.”

“Why do I have to be such a good guy, I should have pretended to be going through a tunnel…” Winston slid down the wall. He knew he had to go in there, but there were girl tears in there. He’s still thinking someone else would have been a better pick on this. There had to be, he was running down his list of ‘people he knows’ and coming short of, well, anyone.

“Well you are, somehow, and you’re here. So go in there.” Grace folded her arms. She’d tried talking to Zoe already, but wasn’t really getting far. It had been a day, she gave Zoe a roof, a room, and went over to Zoe’s place to get her some clothes. But when it came to sympathy and comfort Grace had a woeful lack of expertise. She was the girl who was dying, what did she know about telling people to buck up the world was okay. Remind them how they aren’t dying?

Winston continued to argue the point, hushed as they were right outside of Zoe’s room, until he finally relented and cracked the door a bit more. “Hey Zoe…” His voice was hesitant, like he might set off an alarm. Careful footfalls like he was wandering into a minefield.

Zoe was cocooned in blankets, hair a mess. This was the look of a princess in exile. Cast out into the world, dark and terrible, beyond the walls of her castle. Her face was puffy and streaky from the tears. They stopped for now, but the sight put Winston further on edge. “Go away.” Zoe’s words were hoarse and devoid of any power.

Still Winston did his best to turn and head for the door. Which Grace guarded, because she wanted to be there. Or she wanted Winston not to run. Why did she have to be one of the smarter kids in school…

“Grace told me what happened.”

“How I screwed everything up?”

“How your mom was being a bi- cruel and heartless.”

“Then she told it wrong.” Zoe’s eyes shot to Winston, then past him to the doorway. She glared for a second before rolling over.

Winston looked back to Grace for any support. The punk shooed him further toward the bed. Great, on his own.

“You wanted your girlfriend there, that isn’t wrong. Sure maybe you shouldn’t have done it that way. I heard you rocked the hell out of that suit though.” Winston had gotten to the edge of the bed. It was a fairly large thing. Looking around this was probably a guest room, Zoe’s room now to make her own. He guessed. What he remembered of Miss Rivas didn’t leave him any hope she’d change her mind. Put that on the top of the list of things not to say.

“And now I don’t have a mom, or a girlfriend. I destroy everything good in my life. My career, my name, what haven’t I destroyed?”

“Your friendship with Miles? Or me? Or Grace?”

Zoe glared at him, “I wasn’t there for Miles when he needed me this year, he nearly flamed out. I used you as a beard for a year. And I fucked Grace, then the boy she liked to mess with her.”

That… was a lot of new information. Naturally the most important item was the first thing Winston reacted to, “Wait, you liked Zig?” He wheeled and was just staring at Grace. Trying to make that one make sense.

“That’s what you got out of this? Really _Chewie_?”

“Why can’t that nickname just fade away?” Winston grumbled as he tried to recenter. “We all make mistakes, Zoe. Have you seen Miles? He fell so far because his dad was a bastard. But he’s gotten better.”

Zoe made some noise and tried to roll over.

“No, no way,” Winston moved around to be in front of her, “Zoe Rivas doesn’t get to just give up. You don’t need to tackle everything but you can do something.” Winston grabbed a glass of water from the nightstand, splashing the contents in Zoe’s face.

She screeched, sat up, and bared all her anger at Winston, “What. Was that. For?”

“Are you mad at me?” Winston had taken a small step back, but that was all the fear he showed.

“Yes.”

“And your mom?”

“Yes.”

“How about your step-dad? Goldi? And everyone else who didn’t help here?”

“Yes!”

“And Rasha?”

All the wind came out of Zoe’s sails, all at once. “No…”

“Then pull yourself together! Use your anger at everyone else to be better than them. Make your mom wish you were still her daughter, make her realize how wrong she is,” Winston shook Zoe, just a bit, “And use that anger at yourself to be the girl who deserves someone like Rasha. You won’t get there if you can’t get dressed, put on your president pants, and kick everyone’s ass.”

Grace had to admit, Winston didn’t suck at this. Playing into Zoe’s best asset, but not to her worst use of it. She smiled a little as she could see the shift in Zoe’s body, even facing away she could guess the look on the President’s face.

“You’re right, thanks Winston. And if you throw a drink on me again I’ll bury you in a shallow grave.” There was an edge of mirth on that threat, Grace figured it was only 70% serious. “Now get out, I have to get up and try to put my life back together.”

Winston started to get up, Zoe stopped him with a hug. Grace bit back a laugh as Winston made a face, somewhere like he was sure he would die now. “Sorry… that you keep having to be here for me.”

“I don’t mind too much. Grace and I’ll wait for you to get dressed.”

Zoe let Winston go and he headed to the door, she didn’t look behind her when she added, “Thanks for calling him.”

“You’ll get through this, come on Chu let’s make some food happen.”


	4. Haunted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request was for Esme interacting with her father. I'm not sure this counts as successful, but I enjoyed writing it.  
> Setting: Season 3, after 310

“They said she’d be okay.” Zig offered as they pulled up to his group home.

“Yeah.” Esme offered as Zig got out, a short kiss before he walked off. “They lied.”

It wasn’t a lie, exactly. The doctors just didn’t tell everyone all of the facts. Maya didn’t die, she made it through the night. She might even make it through the year, but she wasn’t alive. Whatever broke, whatever part of that blonde ray of sunshine turned cloudy and gray was still gone. She wasn’t that girl they knew.

The old Maya died in that bus, she wasn’t coming back.

Esme had to stop to pull herself together, she wished Zig answered, explained what he meant by ‘this happening again.’ He didn’t trust her, she didn’t mind. She didn’t trust herself either. She was a monster wearing human skin, the girl who killed her mother.

That wasn’t the exact truth either, but it felt honest.

She pulled up at home and went in.

“You’re late,” Oh look, daddy dear waited up.

“Something happened at school.” Esme never spelled things out, not for him. Not anymore. He didn’t care. He hasn’t seen his daughter in seven years. He’d never see that girl again. he just saw a murderer, guilty of killing his wife.

“You missed dinner, you can make something for yourself. Didn’t know if you’d come home tonight.” He barely gave a single glance to her as he walked past.

She came home every night, she always did, if she wasn’t home by five she didn’t get a dinner. She could make her own, sure, but not until he was asleep. She didn’t want him interrupting, talking, watching her. Seeing through her facade, through all the layers of protection she’d put on.

So she went to her room, it was immaculate. Every item perfectly folded, organized, prepared. Her room was almost a throwback to the 50′s, not the real 50′s, the imagination of a movie, what a girl’s room should look like. Night stand full of condoms, drugs, and sex toys. But out of the way, unseen by the average person. Perfect.

She sat at her vanity, prim, proper. Looking at herself. Undoing her braid, removing her sweater and blouse. Looking at the real her. Unguarded, bare, dangerous. She wanted to cry, looking at herself. The real girl, not the doll she played in school.

She went to her closet, the clothes were organized by season, color, and style. In that order. She carefully pushed the clothes to either side, revealing the wall behind. The drywall was covered in scratches, stabs, and destruction. She screamed and took a pair of scissors out of a pocket, there just for this and started lashing out at the wall. All her pain, all her suffering, someplace hidden, someplace unseen.

Someplace only her’s.

She pulled on a night shirt and put her into a simple ponytail. “I didn’t kill her. I didn’t. I didn’t kill her, I didn’t kill Maya. I’m good. I’m not a monster.”

“I’m not.” One day she will believe it. Anyone can believe a lie if they hear it long enough.


	5. Evolution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request for some Grace and Zoe friendship time.  
> Setting: Season 3, after 310.

“Hey Zoe.”

Zoe was aware that Grace had been watching her for a few minutes. The whole housemate thing was new, but they were finding a balance. Maybe a few old feelings woke up walking in on each other by accident but nothing too world shattering. “Yes Grace?”

“…Why don’t you like guys anymore?” Grace and Zoe had really chatted about how her label shifted, it clearly had, Zoe had done everything to make that clear. Still the two haven’t spoken of it.

“I don’t think I really ever did. Not… the way I thought.” This was weird given her first time with a woman was with Grace, and while Zoe felt everything she wanted. Grace… didn’t. Maybe that was why she was being extra cagey.

“So that thing with Zig?”

“I was playing a role, did you forget I’m a world class actress?” Zoe looked up in time to catch Grace’s eyeroll, “I just went back to being Gatsby. To her a simple bit of action in the woods wasn’t a big deal. I didn’t want him, I just… you know.”

“Wanted me to suffer, I get it.” Grace didn’t sound mad, well, any more mad than Grace always sounded. There was always this feeling of ill temper being near her. Guess that happens when you can’t waste any time.

“But it was like that with Drew as well, I was playing the role of perfect sexy girlfriend. It… didn’t work there either.” Zoe really was the worst with guys.

“And moneybags?”

Zoe froze. Grace knew because Zoe had ditched her that summer for time with Miles. But she didn’t think it’d come up. Zoe wasn’t really sure what to say about it. She didn’t just make up a character in her head, a girl that would be like that with Miles. With Miles she just… was. They didn’t get back together, she didn’t want anything so complicated. Miles was happy to be a boytoy, he was a lot more liberal with his body than anyone else in the school.

“That says there were feelings.” Zoe hated how Grace could read her silence so easily. She was one of three people, and they were all infuriating over it.

“Miles… understands. My world, all the stuff I deal with. The spotlight and being seen. There are definitely feelings but only messed up rich kids would go to bed over them,” Zoe wasn’t nearly as messed up as Miles, nobody could be. Little Boy Blue had a rough run of it and she was ever so thankful all her mom did was kick her out of the house. Zoe thought any dad would be better than no dad at all until she met Mayor Hollingsworth.

“And… I don’t? Maybe if you tried to explain it.”

Zoe turned her attention back to her phone, “It’s not really something that can be explained. Having your face in every publication as people want you, or to be you, or to do you.”

“You’re not that famous.”

“Not anymore, but even on a C list like West Drive there are fans, well intentioned stalkers that dig up every secret.” Zoe felt a little self-conscious, because for her it was over. And for Miles it didn’t end. Who was she to complain, although she wonders if any of the Gatsby fans are still out, and noticed how her mother threw her out. But maybe they side with her. Gatsby’s ships were always boys, and Zoe Rivas was not that girl.

Grace turned her attention back to her laptop, “I’m sorry.” Some words just felt wrong coming from some people. This was very much the case.

“For what?” Zoe didn’t know what it was, this conversation. Zoe’s crap career, her crappier home life.

“I should have said no, as soon as I realized I didn’t…”

“Like girls?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s fine. I mean, it hurt and I hated it, but at least you’re friends with me now. And letting me stay here. Besides, I could have done so much worse.”

Grace looked up, studying Zoe’s face. Zoe for her part did her best to hide the truth. Hope and trust the world was just and Grace wouldn’t see through her just this once. “You wanted to do blondie?”

Zoe winced, “Shut up!” It was true, somewhere during all of Zoe’s crap, she realized that as much as she hated Maya’s wholesome happy family. Two parents, sister, all who loved her and would kill a man who hurt her. All the things Zoe couldn’t have. As much as she hated how people flocked to Maya’s pretty girl next door curls and bright smile. She wanted to push them all out of the way and slam that girl up to a wall and… this thought died because Grace was laughing. “It isn’t funny!”

“It’s a little funny. It’s okay, I hate how she just gets every person too.”

And they both stopped, and the room felt a little darker and colder. Maya was still in the hospital, she was up and around and on new meds. But she was still not that girl, the girl both of them really missed. Not that Zoe would admit it, or Grace would admit missing anyone.

“Hey Zoe.”

“Yeah Grace?”

“Is it weird that I’m happy, that my first time was with someone who really liked me. For me?”

“Not at all. Do you think you’ll find anyone?”

“I don’t think so, when I kissed Zig it just felt… weird. And I know Jonah likes me but he’s allergic to sex, which might be okay. But I don’t see it working out.”

“Well, I still love you, even if you’re a messed up dying straight person.”

“Gee. Thanks.”

And the two let silence reclaim the room. They had a lot to do before they could try to get everything back on track.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to explore them getting past their… past. I also wanted Grace to apologize for the crap thing they did. I also wanted to explore straight!Zoe actions in the lens of Lesbian!Zoe present. I hope this was okay, this was the idea that got the most traction in my head.
> 
> Yes, yes I used Ace Grace headcanon. But I like that headcanon so fight me!


	6. A Different Path

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The request was for a shippy Mola fic. I figured the best way to make that work was in Season 1. This is what happens if Miles finds Lola instead of Esme when he starts his downward spiral.
> 
> Setting: Season 1, before 104.

Something came up. Be there soon.

Lola read the text over again, standing politely in the back patio of the Hollingsworth house. Sadly getting into the house itself required Frankie, or one of her siblings. So here Lola stood, waiting. “You lost?”

Lola turned to find Miles, shirtless, heading toward the pool. Before she and Frankie got close she was all ready to try and get some of that. This was reminding her why. But she moved on, her eyes were on another upperclassmen. Not that it could happen, his eyes were on Shay. “No, I’m waiting for your sister.”

“Do you want to wait inside?” Why was he trying to get rid of her? She was cute enough. Why was everyone so ready to just put her aside for someone else?

“I don’t mind keeping you company?” Lola batted her lashes at Miles. He was just with Tristan, but Tristan blew that up in public. No chance that’ll happen again. And if she could move back to Miles it would be easier.

“Well, I’m going for a swim, if you want to join me you can borrow one of Frankie’s suits, or not… up to you.” Miles dove into the water.

Lola, reflexively, drew her arms over herself. It was the sort of line that Miles used casually, his reputation, and his feed from the summer, all said that was just how he worked. The sort of line you use, don’t expect to work, and enjoy when it does. “I… don’t think Frankie’s suits would fit me.”

Lola didn’t make a show of it, she was fast, each garment coming off without much effort. Skirt, shirt, shoes, bra… and she was in the water. She surfaced and shook cotton candy pink hair out, a little darker due to the water.

“I didn’t expect you to take off your bra too.” Miles was smiling, but not too much. An amused sort of surprise at what his suggestion got.

“White bra. It wouldn’t have hidden anything anyway.” The dark blue panties would do their job fine. She was glad she planned on that. “I also sent my boobs in photos to like, a zillion people. My boobs were super popular.”

Miles chuckled, “You aren’t wrong. I requested them a few times.”

“I would have sent you ones for free, I’ve… always kind of liked you.”

“Yeah, you and everyone else my sister is friends with.” Miles dragged himself into one of the pool floats.

Lola made a face, “That isn’t it. I mean, it’s nice you’re good looking. And rich. But you’re a good person. And that’s what makes everything so sad.” Lola had heard more than enough fights working on homework with Frankie, or the aftermath. Frankie always seemed to blame it on Miles, but Lola didn’t get it. Someone who picks a fight looks different, it wasn’t just him being cute. He always looks so destroyed when he gets out of the room.

“Sad?” Miles saw her, he looked at her before. Saw her smile, her ridiculous hair, her tits. He saw her, for just a moment, then it vanished, “I’m great, I don’t know why everyone worries about me.”

Lola frowned, eyes on him as she splashed over to dangle from his chair. “You look like I did. You look like, you want so desperately to share something important. But there isn’t anyone to listen. And everyone else is talking to someone.”

And he saw her again, someone a lot more than that weird dumb friend of his sister. She was looking away from him, “Yeah… that’s it. It sucks. Is that why you keep your hair so colorful?”

“No. That’s because I got tired of everyone leaning over and going,” Lola put on that face, the false sympathy people were so good at, “ _ You’re looking more and more like your mother every day.  _ I got so sick of it.” She dropped the act and look as soon as she could.

“Your mom?” Miles never really knew what Lola was about, just that she was this weird pink haired tiny thing who still managed to take up half the couch when she wanted to.

“She left when I was eight. When I turned ten I started doing new things. I kinda destroyed my hair and had a buzz cut for a year. But they stopped comparing to my mom, and got worried I was a lesbian.” She didn’t seem bothered by sharing such a story, wouldn’t that be embarrassing?

Strangest girl in school didn’t begin to cover Lola, what sort of girl does that? From the guy whose done so much worse. “You’re unbelievable.”

“But that totally happened.”

“That’s why you’re unbelievable,” Miles leaned forward and kissed her.

***

How could anyone be as infuriating as Jonah Haak!? Frankie fumed as she got home hours late because he’d goaded her into helping at the youth center. She felt good about it, but he was so darn smug about… everything!

The house was open so someone was home, she was glad Lola was let in. Waiting out on the patio isn’t the worst, but Lo probably wanted to watch TV while she waited. Unless… she went home.

“Except Lola’s stuff is on the couch…” Frankie glanced around, before shouting to the house looking for the little ditz. “Lola? Anyone? I’m home!”

She turned the corner for the stairs and Lola bolted down, a faint mist of water on her skin. She was wearing a long shirt of Frankie’s, when she wanted lounging around clothes that weren’t pajamas. She wasn’t naked under it, maybe a pair of boxers or shorts? The added few inches of height on Frankie made it a bit more modest on Lola. Minus how it clung to her from the pool water, “Please don’t be mad!”

“What would I be mad about?” Frankie grew worried, Lola was alone with Miles. That was a red flag.

“We had to raid your closet, Lola fell in the pool.” Miles wandered down, he was shirtless and his hair still wet. However he wasn’t in his trunks, opting for powder blue slacks.

Lola looked at him, then back to Frankie, then back to Miles. She slowly added on, still looking nervous. Like a mouse in a room of cats, “And Miles’s closet, my butt is too big for your panties so he lent me some boxers.”

That was Lola, blunt about things Miles  _ did not need to know _ . “Right, whatever, I’ll order some pizzas and we can get to work.”

“Chinese?” Lola asked, smiling in her cutest little beg.

“…Fine. Miles, if you promise to behave you can join us.” Frankie wandered to the kitchen.

***

“I don’t normally… fool around, without a date first?” Lola worried her lip once she was sure Frankie was gone. “But that was really fun. Why are we lying to Frankie?”

Miles kissed the shorter girl on the forehead, “She’ll have opinions, and I want us to figure out if we… work. Before telling her.”

Lola nodded, there was a little talking after they finished. Not quite enough to nail anything down. She knew he was hurting for a lot of reasons, but he was still good. “We can keep it between us while we figure it all out. But I want her to know, it’ll be hard. Sneaking around her.”

“Sometimes hard is a good thing,” Miles smirked.

Lola kissed him before pulling away, “Sorry! I didn’t get a chance to brush my teeth after.”

“Relax, I didn’t brush my teeth either. And I have done that before.”

“I noticed. I really liked it,” Lola was worrying her lip again, but it was mostly to fight off the memories of what they had just done. That would make dinner with Frankie complicated, “now let’s go before she comes back.”

“You go ahead, I’ll grab a shirt and join you.”

Lola ran up a stair to get a better footing to kiss Miles, no hesitation about breath this time. Then ran off to join Frankie. Maybe he should have told her to put a bra on. That would be distracting all of dinner.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I might follow up on a ‘what if Miles didn’t date Esme’ path, this was written cold without rewatching S1 so I might have to retcon more things to make this work? Dunno exactly. Some Frankie/Lola/Shay/Miles plots will go differently with someone actually looking out for Miles and none of this ShinyTola love triangle hooie.
> 
> Also, the sexual nature of things is cause both Lola and Miles are fairly sexual characters, but at the same time I only want to employ it where I feel it adds to the nature of their relationship. They did not go all the way, cause one pet peeve I have is characters going from no sex to sex all at once. It feels more… appropriate, if a character rounds the bases at a slower trip.


	7. Remembrance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The request was to have S3 Lola and Miles talk about the dick pick from Season 1. Too awkward for me not to write it.
> 
> Setting: Season 3, during 310.

Lola broke off the hug with Miles, he still needed to get dressed. Well, he could do the show shirtless. It would be a little late for Simpson to complain about it.

“Miles?” She turned back, hesitantly.

“Yeah?” He figured she was gone, not that he cared if she stuck around while he got dressed. Once you have sex changing is only a little weird, and for Miles he probably could have done it anyway. Modesty wasn’t exactly a word used with him.

“Do you think, maybe when Tristan is better, we can talk again? Just talk. I don’t want to make it weird.” Lola wasn’t looking hurt, not like she was when she worried the whole relationship was meaningless. But like she just wanted a little more than what they had.

“Maybe. I do miss your pictures during the day.” Miles had gotten used to a steady influx of crazy. Lola making faces, just generally being a little off. But overall harmless.

“I miss yours too, well… one of them was weird.” Lola was smiling, just a bit. Only with her lips. Her eyes seemed to have something wicked to them.

“What are you…” Miles trailed off. His lack of modesty only went so far. Certain memories, choices he made a long time ago, those could get a reaction from him. He turned a little green and turned away. “That wasn’t even on oomfchat, I just texted that to you.”

“While I had a boyfriend.”

“While you had a boyfriend. I don’t think I ever apologized for it either.”

“You didn’t, I would have liked an apology back then,” Lola walked over, slipping just past him enough to be in his field of vision. To show him she wasn’t mad. It was weird, a year ago she was so embarrassed. Now she wasn’t, it didn’t really bother her. “Now it doesn’t matter. I can’t really be mad about a picture of something I, you know… licked. And screwed.”

“Let’s just keep it to Trash Raccoon from now on. Okay?” Miles was glad that, somehow, things were working out in some strange way.

“I can do that. I’m just glad you didn’t ruin any filters using them on your penis.”

Miles barked out a laugh at the sheer absurdity of the idea. “I’m going to get dressed, you should get out of here before Jonah or Grace assumes we’re doing it.”

“They know!?”

“They bet money on it.”

“Everyone in this school needs to get a new hobby…” Lola muttered as she headed out.

Wouldn’t that be nice?


	8. Corrections

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The request was for Miles coming out to his mom. However it felt like a good time to explore 'bisexuals are still bi dating the opposite gender' so I went in that direction. Also it meant writing in Next Class and not Season 14.
> 
> Setting: Vague time after Season 3 where Miles and Lola are sorta maybe kinda dating? I don't know. When is hardly important.

“So what are you two doing tonight?” Mrs. Hollingsworth asked as Miles got ready. After months of watching her son mourn for a boy still here. It was wonderful to see him so happy, so normal.

“Dinner, she has quite the palette, and then there’s an under 21 club playing a DJ we both like,” that last bit was a little white lie. He didn’t mind the DJ, but that was strictly for Lola’s benefit.

“I’m so happy to see you going out, having a normal life. With someone… appropriate.” She meant it to be good, to be positive, but Miles didn’t seem to be taking it that way.

“Tris was appropriate, Mom.” Miles was moving around, ducking looking at his mother.

“What? I’m just happy you are out of that phase.”

“It wasn’t a phase, it isn’t a phase. That’s still who I am.” Miles turned to look at her, “How can you not get that?”

“I don’t see why you keep pretending you’re gay when you have a lovely, admittedly colorful, girlfriend? I don’t hold her past against her either.”

“…Should I come back?” Lola was immaculate, dress matched to her hair, her hair slicked back into a more mature, movie star style. The look was marred by how uneasy she was coming in. This wasn’t the first time someone had been talking about her abortion so obliquely.

“No, you can help me,” Miles offered, arm open for a gentle show of affection. “What’s my orientation, my mom seems to have trouble accepting it.”

“Hmm?” Lola looked at him, trying to figure out what he was asking of her. “That you’re bi. How is that hard to figure out?”

“Thank you,” Miles made a big show of the words, like they were obvious. To the both of them they were. Then kissed her on the forehead and turned back to mom. “I like girls, and I like boys. Being with Lola doesn’t mean I stop being bi.”

“I don’t understand, aren’t you happy? To go out and not have stories about you flaunting your sexuality to hurt your Dad?”

“I’m great, my friend got kicked out for being a lesbian and my mom keeps wanting me to toe the family line. But my… girlfriend, she accepts who I am.” Miles looked at Lola, the g-word was new. And not really what their relationship was. But she smiled, playing the role he cast her in. Again. “That I am happy about.”

The worry in Mrs. Hollingsworth’s eye was overwhelming. She didn’t say anything, she just watched. That look when he went overboard with drugs or stunts or fights with his father. That look that said she didn’t past the outside at all.

“I’m still me, mom. I just like boys, and girls. I know dad will never get it but…” Miles turned away, “Forget it.”

Lola took his hand, looking at Mrs. Hollingsworth. Eyes full of… pity. She turned back to Miles, “Let’s go, we can still have fun this evening. Get your mind off what she said?”

Mrs. Hollingsworth tried to see how she became the bad guy here? How did this go so wrong, was what she said really so unsupportive? The fact Miles wasn’t looking at her, and that look Lola gave her. She stopped, took a breath, “Wait. Miles. I’m sorry. I’ll try to be better, it’ll take me some time. Okay?”

“…We’re going, but I hope when we talk about it, you’ll hear me.”

“I’ll try.”

“It’s more than dad ever does.” Miles and Lola headed for the door, they weren’t out of earshot before the small blue haired girl spoke up.

“Do a lot of people not get it?”

“I kinda love how you don’t get other people don’t get it.”

“Thank you.”

Mrs. Hollingsworth watched them wander to the garage. She guessed she needed to try a little harder. Although she wondered what made an idiot like Lola able to see so clearly. Maybe she should ask Frankie for help on this…


	9. Preparation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I think it was simply asking for a Lola and Shay friendship scene, this is where I went.
> 
> Setting: Season 3, after 305, probably before 308. Doesn't really matter.

“This?” Shay asked, holding up a shirt.

“What are we shopping for again?” Lola was not looking at clothes and was making faces at herself in the mirror. Not even paying attention at the moment.

“For clothes?” Shay wasn’t sure what Lola wanted. But that was pretty common.

“I meant what are you doing? What’s the outfit for? Who are you with? What do you need to be able to do?”

“…You really think about all that before you buy anything?”

“Unless I love the color.” Lola shrugged, “And no, that’s not you.”

“But I haven’t told you what its for?”

“It hides your legs and puts too much focus on your butt.”

Lola had barely looked away from her mirror when she did it. She wasn’t wrong, which was the most infuriating part of Lola. She said something that cut into a weakness, and she does it to help. Just once she wants Lola to let her buy a terrible pair of pants and let her go out in them. “It’s for a date? With Tiny. I think he wants to go dancing after a basketball game.”

“Playing? Interesting, very you two.” Lola was already a rush of motion.

“No, watching. Why would you think we would be playing?”

“It’s a way to get all comfortable with someone physically. Do something you’re both good at, get all sweaty and competitive.” Lola shrugged as she started holding up leggings, looking at Shay, and either draping them over her arm or making a face like she bit a lemon.

“Do you think Tiny would try that?”

“I think he’d want to just beat you at a game of one on one.”

“Did he do that with you?”

Lola looked at Shay like she had a strange filter over her face suddenly.

“Right, sports aren’t you. You only do them because I insist, or you get a cute outfit out of it.”

Lola continued to grab things off racks, preening now that Shay was on the ball.

“…Are those all for me to try?”

“Um, duh. You’re the one with a date.” Lola’s eyes dismissed the question as a waste of time. Shay was the driven one, unstoppable at all she wanted. Why was Lola so far ahead of her right now?

“And you’re not still mad he’s dating me?”

And all at once Lola stopped. Her eyes stopped tracking through clothes and her feet stopped carrying her around. “I was never mad. I was hurt.”

Shay watched her, the girl Tiny gave up. And Shay couldn’t tell why he’d do it. Lola was so… wild, and crazy, and outgoing. She loved books and hard work, she was never comfortable on a date unless it was boggle or homework. Even now, Lola was better at Shay’s dates than Shay was. How messed up is this?

Shay was so lost in that thought she didn’t notice Lola in front of her. “These for your date,” it was a skirt, legging, a low neckline tank top with a button up blouse. “And these are for next time you try to get me and Frankie to play paintball.” Skinny jeans, sleeveless top with a turtleneck collar. Lola was waiting for her praise, like a puppy bringing back a ball.

“You never cease to amaze me on this stuff. You know that?”

“I know,” Lola beamed, “But I love hearing it. If you’re going dancing after a basketball game, wear sneakers and switch to dance flats at the club.”

“And for paintball?”

“Cute boots. Of course.”

Shay watched as Lola moved on to figure out her own purchases. What would she do without Lola? What would Lola do without her help in class? How did they let a boy nearly screw all this up. Even one as great as Tiny?


	10. Hellfire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The request was for Zoe getting devastated by more thoughts or feelings about her mother and/or her sexual assault. I decided to explore it by having Zoe's mom be THE WORST.
> 
> Setting: Season 3, probably after 310 but definitely after 309.

Zoe ignored the buzz of her phone, making out with Rasha was definitely more important. The Dot was one of the few places in town that didn’t get overly bothered by LGBT public displays. Although it was like the sixth or seventh time her phone had buzzed in a handful of minutes.

“Maybe you should see what is going on?” Rasha asked between kisses.

“Or I should just turn it off,” Zoe reached out for her phone but it was quickly snatched from the table. By Lola. “The hell? Lola?” Zoe got up, stalking over to Lola who looked both terrified and small. Yet she did something like that.

“Lola what is it?” Rasha was standing next to Zoe, she was a little more concerned.

“You don’t want to look, you want to just go back to making out with your cute girlfriend and not look.” Scared was the wrong word, sad? Something had the little flirt freaked out. But this was Lola, how bad could it be.

Fortunately for Zoe, Lola was small and not very evasive. Getting her phone back was easy. Lola didn’t try to get it back, she just looked pleadingly at the pair, like things are about to suddenly go wrong.

_Consquela Rivas, mother of former West Drive actress Zoe Rivas, recently was cast in a new mini-series after years serving as her daughter’s agent. When asked what caused this change in her career she was quoted saying “After repeated scandals with boys, and a sexual assault trial that was due to her own drinking problem, my daughter’s desire to not return to acting has made room in my life to return to the career I love.” She went on to say-_

Lola snatched the phone away and turned it off. Zoe wasn’t sure what was worse, the sudden urge to throw up that came with the hazy half-remembered hands all over her. That her mother just used her as a publicity stunt to restore her career. Or that the entire fucking thing was her attempt to remind Zoe at one point she slept with men.

She felt like a slightest touch would shatter her to dust and that would be better than what was in her head. Well, she didn’t turn to dust, she assumed the sudden weight against her was Rasha. She didn’t think to check how short that weight was, or that Rasha was on the other side of her.

“Should I call Miles to come take you home?” Lola’s voice, next to her. She was quiet, that hesitant quiet that never felt right from Lola. Even if she did it a lot when she was overwhelmed and worried. “Let’s sit down.”

Zoe finally took stock of the room, Rasha was just out of reach, looking so surprised she couldn’t find the words. And Lola, freak with the blue hair was helping her to sit on the sofa in The Dot. Zoe couldn’t find her voice, she wanted to ask what Rasha was thinking, what she saw now that she knew how messed up Zoe had been in the past. But how do you ask that. How do you ask anything like that?

Was she worried about her own safety, if mom would burn her with the press, would she burn Rasha too? She thought being kicked out was the worst, but she forgot how cruel and practical her mother was. Was it any wonder, Zoe thought, that she spent her life tearing down enemies instead of letting in friends. Spending so long only trusting her mother and for this?

And Lola was still pressed into her side, like a hug would fix everything. If Zoe was honest, it was keeping her from falling apart. She almost was ready to cry when she felt Lola leave her side for just a moment. And then cry for a whole new set of reasons as Lola dragged Rasha over to join them.

Rasha wasn’t hugging her, but Lola had put Rasha’s hand on Zoe’s trembling fingers. She caught on fast, “What… what was that video talking about?”

Zoe still didn’t have the words to explain, to tell Rasha it was all out of context. That it was all wrong, and a sick joke. “Zoe’s mom interrupted a school event, accusing one of the upperclassmen of taking advantage of Zoe. And then aftr that there was a party, and some boys really did take advantage of her.”

Zoe was drawn out of her stupor by Lola’s explanation. She didn’t remember Lola before the cheer squad. But… Lola had to be at the school? How many girls are that short anyway? There was one blonde hair and dark roots. Not quite as fashionable as Lola. Was that her? She was a champion at social diving. 

“And… Zoe’s mom just blamed her for all of that? Her own daughter?” Rasha sounded like she just got sucker punched by the surprise. Her next words, however, were in Arabic and she did not sound at all polite. They weren’t words Zoe learned at the start of the year, but she could guess what they meant.

What sort of fucked up world is it, that someone using such language about her mother made her smile? Maybe Zoe would have been better had she been kicked out years ago. “…You can let go of me Lola, I’ll be okay. Thank you for trying to stop me.”

“I was hoping to get you to go home before seeing it. My mom left, but she never…” the words trailed off, but the meaning was clear. Zoe knew Lola had been abandoned, but now it suddenly felt like a weight she could understand a little better. “Do you want me to call Grace, or Miles?”

“Grace. I want to go home, my real home. Away from that bitch who gave birth to me,” Zoe was surprised, how easily the words came. How good the words felt once they hit the air. It was so much easier to let go now.

Lola wandered off, her eyes away from Zoe and Rasha as she made her call. Probably giving them a false privacy?

“What happened to the boys? The ones that…?” Rasha didn’t know how to ask. Zoe couldn’t be clear if it was the concept itself, or a fear of the answer.

“There was a girl, Becky. She discovered the boys that attacked me. And she helped send them away. My mother blamed me, for all the pain I was in. How I couldn’t work after the attack,” Zoe put on a brave face, she tried to be strong. She did alright, not enough for her mother. “My mother blamed me, while a stranger helped send her own brother to jail.”

“Good riddance, to your mom. You do not need such a terrible person,” Rasha leaned in to give Zoe a hug. It took all she could not to burst into tears.

“Grace is on her way. Miles too, and Winston. I didn’t call them they texted me,” Lola offered. Why were strangers nicer to her than her mother? She had hurt all of them. She didn’t even like Lola but here she was. Zoe looked up and Lola was leaving. Guess she was only doing this because she was here.

“Your friends are very good to you.”

“Yeah… they are…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I used Lola because… I didn’t want it to be Grace and honestly I love random Lola moments in stories. Especially with Zoe who probably has a very skewed view. Rasha being there was just to add that uncertainty to Zoe’s head when this crap happened.
> 
> If you can’t guess, the only reason Mama Rivas isn’t my least favorite Degrassi parent is Craig’s dad and Miles’s parents.


	11. Interest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The request was literally "Miles finds out Hunter got a boner for Lola." There was no way I was passing that one up!  
> Awkward is my favorite crack.
> 
> Setting: Season 3, after 307 but before 310.

“So any recent rigidity problems?”

“No, thankfully, having that happen once was enough.”

“I’m surprised she even noticed given who the bigger man is.”

“Shut up Baaz.”

Miles had been sitting on the upper walkway around the pool, the sun was in the perfect spot to give him a nice reading light. The weather was sunny but not too warm. It also was out of the way, most people didn’t look up there unless he drew attention to himself.

“Maybe you should schedule your time better, to avoid unwanted distractions.”

“i’m sure that any issues i have are a one time thing. Nothing else will happen, it can’t.”

This was definitely the conversation he thought it was. Baaz was being a twerp, and Hunter could only be so annoyed if it involved a girl. Plus their choice in euphemism was adorable, if it wasn’t sad. Now, he could listen for more details.

…Or he could do what is his birthright, “What happen? Yael smiled at him and he got all excited.” And tease his younger sibling.

“Go away Miles, this isn’t your concern.”

“And if it was Yael he wouldn’t be quite so disturbed. It was about a girl he wants no part of.”

Oh, the plot thickens. And yes Miles internally chuckled at that choice of thought. “I’m pretty sure some part of him was interested from what I’m hearing, who was the girl? You seem to perpetually hate the fairer sex if they aren’t Arlene or Yael.”

“I don’t hate them, and go away.”

“It was Lola.”

“Baaz! Shut up.”

On the one hand, rationally, the appeal is understandable. Natural even. Hunter’s not used to girls, and nobody is more girl than Lola. Miles had issue with that occasionally, and he was both taken and actively trying to avoid complications on that front.

On the other hand he suddenly felt very wary of anyone else seeing Lola like that. “What happened?”

“We were editing, she was leaning over me, with her… in my face. In a top that was showing a lot more skin than I thought the school allowed. It just happened, okay!”

Miles remembered what that was like for him, of course he was younger than Hunter… and he ended up having sex with one of the girls that did that to him. Not the brightest move, but it wasn’t a bad first time. Still, Miles was feeling a bit like he should share the pain between the two boys that put this into his head. Reminding him Lola was, well, really frickin’ hot. “I take it she’s had this effect on you too, whatever your name is?”

“N-no, I would never look at a lady like that.”

“You told me it’s happened any time she passes you something vaguely phallic, like a pencil, or a thumb drive?”

“That was told with protections of client privilege attached!”

“Thumb drive, accurate size for you?” Miles added, just leaning on the rail enjoying watching the two boys squirm.

“I refuse to dignify that with a response.”

“Miles?” Speak of the devil, and she shall appear. Blue hair, sundress that accentuated everything that would cause any boy the best discomfort. “Oh, there you are! Hi Baaz, hi Hunter.”

“…We were going to run lines today, weren’t we?” Miles remembered, suddenly feeling guilty. The other two seemed to lose all will to speak, act, or live with Lola suddenly there.

“What’s wrong with you two? Did I interrupt something?”

“No, we were just talking about…”

“Porn.”

Miles barely contained his laughter, Lola squeaked disapprovingly, “That not only counts as your biweekly communication with me, I’m adding a week penalty for being weird!”

“We’ll just be going now, have fun reading lines.” Hunter grabbed Baaz by his shirt, which caused him to complain about ironing, and dragged him back to the house. “Why is it anytime you freeze you suggest porn!?”

“What’s wrong with them?” Lola asked. Very confused over what she just walked in on.

“I was just giving them a hard time over their… issues.”

“Whatever, we running lines or what?”

Miles couldn’t really blame his brother on this one, even if it was really weird.


	12. Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So the request was for Bianca and Tiny to interact during the Anniversary. I made it a bit more Drianca than it needed to be, but I like that ship. Fight me.
> 
> Setting: During Season 2, during 205.

“We could always revisit where we started?”

“That’s a great idea, get Simpson fired again by going to the boiler room. I thought you grew out of the Boiler Room Bianca thing.”

“I also thought I outgrew you, and I was wrong about that.” Bianca leaned over and gave Drew a kiss that was meant to scandalize the youngest class of students in the school. If she played it out right he’d be begging to go to the boiler room. Not that she would, but the begging would be nice. “I’m sorry everyone from your class isn’t here. I thought at least Imogen would be around.”

“It’s fine, I’m just glad Ms. Pill is gone,” Drew went back to Bianca’s side, arm around her waist as they headed toward the school. Right toward a group of angry kids, and a few alumni, protesting in the road. “So glad this isn’t on me.”

Bianca, however, was too distracted by some of the signs. And one of the boys pictured on the signs. Who was standing over in the protest, with a weird pink haired midget, “Babe, can you go inside ahead of me. I need to go talk to someone.”

“Uhh, sure,” Drew spotted a familiar face and went to bug them. Leaving Bianca to go do what she needed to.

She waited at the edge of the group for the two girls to go do something else, “If you’ve gotten taller, Tiny, the world isn’t a fair place.” Suddenly she felt fake, wearing nice clothes. Looking like a woman ready to enter the business world than the working girl Tiny would have remembered. The girl who got roped into a gang for protection, and almost didn’t get out.

“Bianca? You look so- you look great, here for the Gala?” Tiny was so much taller, but he didn’t look like his brother. He looked… nice, happy. He was so young when they met. Tagging along on his brother, no idea what he was getting into. He only got the name ‘Tiny’ once he rivaled his brother’s height.

“Something like that, what’s up with the posters with your mug all over them?” Given he was with the protest, he wasn’t the bad guy here. She was happy about that. He also seemed to be stuck between two girls, Vince would never have that issue unless he was flush with cash.

“My girlfriend did it, she’s insane but in a good way. I got suspended for a fight I didn’t start. She asked the Principal if he was racist to his face,” Tiny sounded so proud, his eyes drifting to the short one with the pink hair. Not exactly what Bianca was expecting, but more power to him.

“You staying out of trouble?”

“Best I can. It helps that-” He stopped, she knew why. 

She stepped in and gave him a hug, he had an extra half foot of height compared to last time she saw him… it made it nice. “I heard, Sorry about your brother.”

“You hated Vince.” He put his hand on her back without a single care to who saw.

“He was the only brother you had, sucks losing people.” She stepped back to slug him in the arm. “Get out of here and live your life, okay?”

“Yes ma’am.” It was a reflex to when he was younger. Bianca still smiled over it. “But after I stand up by my girl, she’s standing up for me.”

Bianca headed to the school. She thought about joining the protest but it seemed to be in good hands. She’d rather rub her good luck in the faces of anyone that doubted her.

“So who was that?” Drew dropped back into position beside her as she got to the school.

“Vince’s brother. Deon.”

“Vince’s-”

“Relax, big guy. He’s a good kid, nothing like his brother. I wanted to see he was okay.”

“And is he?”

“So far he’s in good hands, plus his psychopath brother is in jail.” Bianca looked back at him and smiled. Way to go kid, she was glad she wasn’t the only one to put herself on the right path.


	13. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So the request was for a Zoe having a panic attack at night for… a reason to have a panic attack. And my brain, because I don’t always think in straight lines, went here.
> 
> Setting: During DTB/Summer before Season 1  
> Content Note: Nondescript nudity.

Zoe was laying in a field, making out with Grace Cardinal. Unlike what happened at the summer bash it was just them, no Miles. No party. Just the two of them. It was pretty great. Until it wasn’t, her mother arrived and Grace just turned to dust next to her.

_What you are doing is a sin against God, young woman. And it’ll ruin your career. What sort of director wants a dyke leading lady? What guy will ever think about you if you go around cutting off your hair, dressing like a lumberjack? Why don’t you pick a guy, someone respectable, instead._

Zoe looked in the mirror at herself, short crop of dark hair, puffy vest over a flannel shirt… the poster girl for lesbian stereotypes monthly. And then her mother, pushing her on Luke Baker.

“Zoe, Zoe, wake up!” There was a man’s face far too close to her own, for a moment she thought it was still Luke in the dark. Voice hushed and low as he tried to calm her. Only once she was a little more awake, her heart calmed, and she recognized Miles. He was naked. It took her a moment to remember why, fortunately the explanation there also explained why she was naked.

“What’s wrong?” She knew what was wrong with her, not why Miles was trying to wake her up.

“You were having a nightmare, a bad one.” Miles was giving her space now, but his eyes were still on her. 

She clung to the dark to cover all the details in her face. All her anxiety, her fear. Give her a moment to push through that and be normal.

She had to be normal.

“You can go back to sleep.”

“Or we can talk about it?”

“Why would we do anything like that?”

“Well, for starters, you punched me in the stomach while you were thrashing.”

“Oh.”

Zoe let the space fill with silence, the perfect partner to the darkness of the room. Mrs. Hollingsworth was out of town for a few days. Zoe told her mom she’d be staying with Frankie, only to the approval of her mom and a suggestion to get close to Miles. Which was already Zoe’s plan.

The summer had been confusing, and honestly she liked how simple Miles made things. She was a complicated mess, but he wasn’t right now. It helped that Miles was mostly parent free all summer, so neither of them were pushing his buttons. Unless he had nightmares like this. About all he feared about his parents.

Zoe took a few calming breathes and stretched back out, no longer cowering in a ball on Miles’s bed. It was just a nightmare, it doesn’t mean anything. Zoe reminded herself she’s not gay, how can she be gay if she can so easily sleep with Miles. Sure it was weird with Drew, but a lot of that relationship was a mess. Luke’s in prison, mom would never push Zoe to be with that man ever. And no force on earth would make her wear flannel.

…Except being in an ad for flannel clothes. Nothing except that.

“Sorry I hit you.”

“I’ve woken up freaked before too, what had you so on edge.”

“Don’t remember.”

“You’ll never win an Oscar with an act that bad.”

Zoe slipped down next to Miles, curled up against him, “How bad it would be if I liked Grace.”

“Why would that be so bad?”

“You don’t get it, your parents-”

“Beat me and refuse to accept the other one beats me.”

“Are required by society to not be homophobes.”

Miles sighed. She had him on that one.

“Mom was laying all her crap about work and sin on me, and then I was a lumberjack, and then she was trying to make me date Luke.”

“Hemsworth?”

“Baker.”

“Ah. You have nightmares about that often?” There was a hint of sorrow to his voice, he did blame himself a little. She felt it wasn’t fair, but if the world was fair she wouldn’t have been finger fucked for an internet audience.

“Not for months. And never as a lumberjack.”

“Maybe you should take up that look, if you meet Luke again you’ll have an ax to use on his sensitive parts.” Miles sounded tired, probably being woken up punched did that to him.

Zoe pressed into him a little closer, laughing at the idea. “Do you want to do it again before we go back to bed?”

“I’m good, besides I’m picturing you as a lumberjack. With a beard.”

She swatted him slightly, although that image was pretty funny when she tried to picture it. When Miles wasn’t blowing his life up in front of every news crew in the city, he just made it all seem so easy. “Sorry I hit you.”

…

So easy he was already back to sleep. Zoe keep her breathing regulated, careful slow breathes to keep herself calm, matched to the rise and fall of Miles’s chest. He was really a great friend, now that they weren’t trying to be anything more than friends.

Thinks the girl naked in his bed with him.

Yeah, she can’t be gay. She’s worrying over nothing. Gay girls don’t do things like this, with boys. Yes. She’s worrying over nothing.

She has to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So to the surprise of nobody, I love friends who blur the line between ‘friend’ and ‘romance’ in some really complicated way. So while I am all in on lesbian Zoe Rivas, I really love the idea that Zoe and Miles are tangled just right so they end up comfortably having sex like this.
> 
> I also wanted Zoe’s anxieties to feel far enough away she’d dismiss them, if they were closer to her own trauma I feel she wouldn’t panic, she’d just… crumble and self-destruct like Zoe does during the trial.


	14. Caring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The request was for the Hollingstwins taking care of a very drunk Miles coming home late. Sure, definitely, can do.
> 
> Setting: During Season 1. While Miles was self destructing under Esme's tutelage.

Frankie paced the living room, she honestly should have just gone to bed. Leave Miles to mom when he stumbled on home. But then this perpetual hostility in the house would continue and that was the furthest from what she wanted. She didn’t have a boyfriend, Tiny had driven a wedge between Shay and Lola, so keeping her family from killing each other was what she needed.

Finally Esme and Miles appeared out front, the two made their way up, slow and stumbling but louder than a parade. Frankie rushed through the door to help carry her brother up to the door. “Hey baby Hollingsworth,” Esme beamed, “You going to join us tonight. I’ve never had siblings before.”

Frankie wanted to know how her brother’s taste in romances kept getting worse. Zoe was cool, but then he went for Maya and… yeah, she got that. Then it was Tristan, who was kind of a diva, but cute. He went back for Zoe after she was a trainwreck and evil. And now Esme, who was… honestly terrifying to the Hollingsworth’s only daughter. “No, I think you’re done for the day, go home.”

“You sure, I don’t think you wear virgin very well,” Esme offered.

“I’m straight.”

“You shouldn’t let that stop you,” oh good, not only was Miles joining in, but he was drunk enough to suggest this was a good idea.

Once they got to the front door, “Go home Esme.”

“Not even offering me a nightcap? What would your parents say about your manners.”

“Keeping my parents from noticing Miles drunk, stoned, and with his fuckbuddy is what I’m trying for,” Frankie growled, low and trying to be threatening. Didn’t quite work on her.

“Ohh, I suppose I can go easy. I did get to hear innocent little miss Hollingsworth swear.” Esme helped him over the threshold of the house, then gave Miles a long, slow kiss on the lips. It was ugly, drunk, sloppy, and… Frankie had to look away because Esme was  _ staring at her _ . “You’ll make someone a lovely housewife someday.”

And then Esme kissed her on the forehead, patted Frankie’s head like a dog, and said, “Good girl.” Esme left, thank God, but Frankie was still glaring a few moments before locking up and trying to get her brother up the stairs. Frankie’s heart stopped at the sound of footsteps upstairs.

“What are you doing helping him?” Oh good, Hunter, not mom.

“What happened last time he came home like this?” Frankie jerked her head to his other side and Hunter didn’t move.

“He got ripped a new one.” Hunter was smiling.

“Yeah, but after that?”

“...Right, he ran off got himself wasted, and mom took it out on us cancelling my video game night and your movie with Shay and Lola.” Hunter flew down the stairs and took Miles’s other side. “I hate this though.”

“You think I love it?” Frankie sighed and stopped, Miles’s sneakers were banging the stairs as they tried to get him up. She pulled them off and got him up the stairs with a lot less noise, “Mom?”

“Took her pill and is out, but I wouldn’t risk her catching all three of us.”

“Right.”

“How’d he get home anyway? Esme?”

“She hit on me and suggested a threesome.” Frankie wasn’t big on secrets from her twin, even if the two weren’t as close when they were younger. They were still half of each other. Plus Hunter’s face was priceless at he worked through the various parameters on that. Shock (at a girl hitting on his twin) that bled into horror (the third would be Miles) and finally revulsion (thinking about someone sleeping with his sister  _ and _ his brother).

“Stop telling me things, you’ll handle him when he’s in his room?” Hunter glanced over.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t know why I’m the one who has to do that part.”

“He likes you better.”

Hunter parted company as Frankie dragged Miles through to his bed. “Whatever that means.” She got him to the bed before what little bit of him was awake decided he was out and he fell face first onto his bed. Frankie sighed, she wanted to just leave him there, but she couldn’t. Plus she wasn’t sleeping just yet, not with what Esme said floating through her head.

A wife? Was that how everyone saw her. Was that bad? Wives were so… doormatty. Someone you end with, someone when you want to have a quiet life. Of course she was getting her brother out of his shirt and socks before stuffing him under the covers. So… maybe she was. Still, she could be fun, she could go out with a guy, show him a good time, have se-

Okay, so maybe that bit seemed a bit far, but… she’d get there someday! She would. She wasn’t just the good girl, there was more to her. That’s what she’d tell herself, over and over.


	15. Ghosts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The request was for Esme to have memories of her mother.
> 
> Setting: During Season 3

“Hey, Esme,” Zig started, after staring at her for the past five minutes.

Esme didn’t mind it, if he was looking at her she knew what he was thinking, and she liked those thoughts, she liked letting them play out. That Janitor’s closet they turned into the gay clubhouse wasn’t being used anymore, it was nearby… “Yes Zigmund.”

“Have you ever thought about doing something else with your hair?”

_ “Honey, have you considered doing something else with your hair?” _ Esme’s mother asked, playing with the little tails she had.

Esme, age 9, tilted her head, “I like keeping my hair out of my face, plus braids are fun.” She wasn’t sure why it mattered, it was just hair. Her sundress was a light green, the picture of a child. Still her mother took the elastics out of Esme’s hair and brushed it out.

“I know, but you’ll look so much more grown up if you do it differently, how about… this.” Mom brushed her fingers over Esme’s face and started to braid it down one side, gentle, soft, not too tight. Esme wondered why her mother wouldn’t let her get a shorter cut. She had, it was real grown up, down to just her neck. But Mommy was always so sure that Esme’s hair should be long, feminine. She’d understand when she was older.

“There, you look so much more dignified now.” She held out the mirror in her compact for Esme to inspect her new hair. It looked weird, but it was out of the way. Down one side, proudly on display. “ _ You have lovely hair, daughter of mine. _ ”

“Hey, earth to Esme?” Zig was staring at her, “I was afraid I’d have to kiss you to wake up.”

Esme didn’t jump much, blinked the memory away, “I don’t really like other ways to style my hair. It’s either this braid, or messy, wild, like you might find out if you can get out of curfew tonight.” Esme sat across Zig’s lap, arms looped behind his neck before she bit him.

Hard.

That was for making her remember.

***

Dad’s car wasn’t here, good. He said he was going on a trip, but he often did that to see what she would do with the run of the house. Esme lead Zig in by the hand, “Let’s go to my room.”

“Woah, we don’t have to rush into it, we have all night, right? Show me around, like the is the living room.” Zig ran off before she could stop him, she followed as far as she could. But she stopped dead at the living room entrance.

_ She stopped dead at the living room entrance. _ “Mommy?” Little Esme Song, age of ten, stood in that doorway. Esme rushed into the room, tripping over the edge of a lamp and not slowing down. “Mommy, mommy get up! Get up!” She shook her mother, hard, she had to get up! What were all these pills, why was there water on the floor? What was this coming out of her mouth!? “GET UP!”

She stayed in there, five minutes, an hour, a year? Until her dad came home. He called for help, he knew what to do. There wasn’t any yelling (yet), her was concerned with how she was doing (right now), and she didn’t know what any of this meant. She didn’t know what she should have done, what she could have done.

“Esme, what?” Zig was in front of her, hand on her shoulder. He moved it to cup her chin, to look at him.

“...I don’t go into that room. Ever.” She was cold, and quiet. And then suddenly she was there again. A devious grin on her cute little lips, “I have an idea. We’ve both had a long day… a lot has happened, let’s get all cleaned up… before we get all dirty again.”

She didn’t even ask if he wanted to do that, she simply slipped a hand under her skirt. Let gravity take over and her panties fell in the middle of the kitchen. Then she headed up the stairs. She was going to make him suffer for reminding her of that day, suffer in ways he’d  _ beg _ her to keep doing. But until then, she needed a little release. And her shower was a place they hadn’t done it yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Esme doesn’t have enough… positive interaction for me to have done this outside of of Zesme ship. I also wanted to play within that gray space of Esme expressing her discontent without stating why or what bothers her. And with the fact that Esme, is, well, kinda nuts.
> 
> Like, she has reason to be, but her reactions and interactions spell out her thought process is kinda erratic.


	16. Opposites

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Simple Request: Yael and Lola friendship.
> 
> Setting: During Season 3, probably after 309.

Yael was hammering away at a big monstery guy with her tiny spritely avatar. Lola was on her phone spread across the couch in the Hollingsworth house as they waited for the Hollingsworth siblings to come home with food. Miles offered to go alone, but both twins instantly figured out he was going to betray them all and get what he wanted, and not the Indian food they all agreed to. Those three were the perfect example of siblings, they loved each other, and trusted each other where it counted… but not when they could easily undermine and annoy each other.

“Do… you want to play Lola?”

“I’m fine. I like watching you play, and laughing at the ridiculous unsexy outfits everyone has.”

That… was not what she expected from Lola. Lola just watching made sense, she didn’t know how to hold a controller and was worthless in games because she didn’t care. Yael knew Lola could learn, she’d learned to stop underestimating the blue haired fashionista, but until Lola found a reason to learn something to know it… she didn’t. No, the surprising part of that was Lola said all the outfits were unsexy. “What’s wrong with the outfits?”

“Some of the guy’s outfits are okay if you’re into dark loners and not wearing any colors. But most of the outfits are… just terrible. Like the girl you’re playing. The only reason a guy would like that is her boobs would never stay covered by that shirt.” This was more of that ‘Lola is smart when she cares’ thing. Yael would never feel comfortable wearing that outfit, but she hadn’t realized how impractical it was. “Is this what Baaz and Hunter like? I figure Vijay likes that guy whose suit is too tight to breathe in.”

Yael refused to answer because Lola was right on all points. Hunter had played it off, that it was nice to look at but Yael was fun to talk to, be with, and spend time around. Still… she always felt she had a million competitors made up of quality renders. “But isn’t this what you do with all your… outfits? You usually show a lot of cleavage and your pants are way too tight.”

Lola giggled, “I didn’t think you were noticing my butt. Thank you.”

Yael would never understand Lola. Not on this subject.

“But… I don’t really do what this game is doing. I wear stuff to highlight my features, but nobody is hanging around me waiting for my butt to rip my pants in two like that one in the short shorts.” This is why putting Lola in charge of the fashion vlog was a good call, because Yael had honestly thought this is what people liked. That this was the ideal. That it was normal. “Nobody but Baaz, anyway.”

“He’s like that with every girl, but Vijay and Hunter gave you a lot of attention when you showed up too.”

“I’m… harmless. I’m the dumb one, remember? People look at me like a helpless puppy and want to give me a treat. Sometimes it’s really nice, like helping me learn how to edit and put together videos. Other times it’s a video telling me that spending time on myself is stupid.” There was a little playful smile when she finished, to say she was joking.

Yael still felt a bit attacked with it. Not that she could blame Lola for holding that on her. “So you mean to do that? Make people treat you like this?”

“No. I mean, I don’t know? This is how everyone looks at me.”

“I don’t look at you like that.”

“Yeah, but you sat with me in a women’s clinic. I can’t do that with everyone.”

“Maybe if you didn’t dye your hair a different color every year.”

“I could wear a wig every day?”

Yael decided to not rise to that bait, she didn’t feel like explaining her wig to Lola. Worse than Lola not getting it would be Lola completely understanding. “You’ve been going over Hunter’s character designs! That’s why they suddenly changed from what he used to do, it all looked like…” Yael gestured to the screen.

Lola dangled her feet of the couch, something that always made her seem, well, like a harmless puppy. “They hurt me, to look at what he was designing. And he can draw such cute things, so I gave some suggestions.”

Hunter had shown Yael that comic about Arlene and the cheerleaders. Yael had no trouble spotting which zombie was Lola. Hunter admitted when Lola saw it she called it cute. If that had been her first introduction to Lola she probably would have thought she was crazy. ...Okay, she still did sometimes. “Let’s set the table, those three should be home soon if they didn’t kill each other.”

“Is this because you want to show Hunter you’re a good girlfriend, or you’re starving like I am.”

“I’m dying for food.” As the two went into the dining room Lola pulled Yael into a casual side hug. Yael was getting used to how friendly Lola was with everyone, such a strange girl. Cleverest idiot at the school, the most aimless person with such drive. Somehow Yael’s only female friend, which is one more than she expected to make.


	17. Catching Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone wanted either Miles and Zoe, or Miles, Tris, and Zoe friend moments. I... couldn't think of how to write Tris. More of my issues writing characters in a new place, so many unanswered questions.
> 
> Setting: Season 3, after 310.

“Where’s Tris?”

“Physical Therapy, he kicked me out. He gets nervous working on relearning to walk with me around.” Miles was sitting, playing on his phone, in an otherwise empty hospital room. He didn’t seem to mind the space.

Zoe casually slipped in behind him, to confirm her suspicions as to what Miles had on his phone… and was pleased to find she was wrong, he was playing sudoku.

“You thought I was texting with Lola.” It wasn’t a question, it wasn’t a judgment, it was just words to describe her actions.

“I can’t help it, ever since I found out I keep expecting you to relapse. Not on drugs, on Lola.”

“Like we should be waiting for you to try again with Grace? You two are practically married.”

“That isn’t the same thing, I just-”

“Have nobody else to turn to. Except Winston.”

No words had ever better encapsulated two people’s separate problems than those. Zoe loved Grace, forever, sure the other girl hurt her. Mislead her. Revealed a part of her she didn’t know about, and felt at times she’d be better off without. But Zoe would always love her in a way that mattered, and wouldn’t go away. “Why didn’t you turn to me?”

“Because if anyone should have seen me coming apart, it was you. But your mind was on Tristan. Which is fine, he’s your best friend.”

“That’s not fair.” Zoe didn’t feel she’d done anything wrong. She didn’t cheat, she didn’t move on. But she also didn’t drown in this room, in the weight of it. She wasn’t expected to be here every night like she expected of Miles. A wake for the living.

“You took over student council, on the back of Tristan’s injury. The school needed it, you needed it. I didn’t judge. I needed someone to sit next to me, hold my hand, and tell me something nice. What would you have done?”

“...Told you to put on your big boy pants and visit Tristan, your love.”

Miles gestured, there they were, the point of it all. The truth. Zoe Rivas was hard, rigid, and practical. And what Miles needed, what would have helped him most she couldn’t give. But… someone soft, flexible, and nonsensical… that helped when the world was so hard and unforgiving.

“Did you…”

“He knows, he hasn’t asked for exactly why it happened. The play helped with that, I think.”

“I want to know.”

Miles went silent for a few moments. “I’d gotten blocked on the Degrassi community page for posts about Tristan. Everyone was telling me to stop talking about Tris, and his health. And your stupid safe space posters were just rubbing in that I wasn’t safe to feel grief in school.”

Zoe had heard some posters getting ripped down but nobody ever got caught. She didn’t realize that the safety of the school had put her friend in this position. So much for being the best president.

“And there was Lola, dragging me away before I got caught. She compared her break-up to my pain, not… exactly like that. Just that she couldn’t express her sadness, her pain, without knowing it would hurt them. And she hated it, bottling it up. Sure, it sounds like a dumb Lola thing, but she got it. In her own pale comparison of my suffering she understood.” Miles had put his phone down to just close his eyes and wait.

Zoe watched him, she heard about his explosion in English. Not all of the details just that he shared photos and video of Tris in surgery. It freaked out most of the seniors. Everyone saw Lola and Shay subtweeting each other, so she could see where that was. Just Zoe couldn’t possibly compare Lola’s petty bitterness at being single to Miles’s pain of losing Tris for so long. “So… that’s it?”

“No, she let me talk,” Miles said, “Winston always felt Tris brought out my worst qualities, you had enough on your plate to keep you away. Lola would just… let me talk about what I loved, what I missed, how it hurt. She was just… there for me. I’d listen to her, but most of the time she’d let me talk, and then we’d spend the day sending stupid photos to each other.”

Zoe was never really good at that. Just being there, she tried to fix things. She tried to scheme, and plot, and take apart a problem and put together a solution. She clearly never really knew Lola because who could just soak up someone’s anger and feelings and not want to act. Who could make their action to simply stand and burn so close to that fire? “I hope one day you two can be friends?”

“Yeah, that’s never going to happen,” Miles said with a sigh. Zoe had no idea what that meant, and Miles seemed content not to explain that further. Probably more of how she and Lola were so different.

“So how is it staying with Grace, are you two sharing the bed you took her virginity in?” Miles going on offense with this change of subject was discouraging. She also hated how Tristan had told him this.

“Shut up. No, there’s a guest room. I… am getting used to how much less Ms. Cardinal has compared to what I’m used to.” Zoe meant she’s trying to get used to it, she misses her car. Her make-up. Her shoes, oh god did she have a collection of shoes. She had to cut down to a quarter of that when she moved out.

“If I had known you intended to blow up your family life, I’d have offered a guest room at my place. I don’t even have to ask my parents. Mom wouldn’t notice and dad never visits.”

Zoe wondered how honest that was, but it just added to her respect for the eldest of the siblings. “You’re pretty much playing dad and mom for your siblings. Aren’t you?”

“Everything but earning money. That well has yet to run dry. Hunter hasn’t tortured anyone and Frankie is figuring out how to date boys. Hopefully they don’t do anything I’ve done.”

It was nice to be reminded of that side of Miles, the side that cares about his siblings more than himself. Bitter, a bit, because he does care about them more than himself. Which is probably why he needed Lola to care about him. But she didn’t have anyone like that, bastard pretty boy being good at something. She preferred him as a fuck up she could feel superior to. Sorta. But not really.

“How are things with Rasha, you two done it in Grace’s bed yet?”

Zoe grabbed the nearest hospital pillow and threw it at Miles’s head.


	18. Truth and Misdirection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The request was for Zoe Rivas and Drew Torres to bond, instead of boning and violently exploding as they actually did in Season 13. I happily love relationships like that so here we are.
> 
> Setting: Season 13, during 1319 (Dig Me Out)

Drew was feeling pretty good about how this talk went. He told her he wanted something less serious and here they were. Her dress was on the floor of Miles’s pool house and she was taking off her, “Woah woah woah, are you sure this is casual for you?”

Whatever was going on in Zoe’s head, that bravado as she, well, stripped… melted under Drew’s eyes. “You don’t want me?”

That could have gone over better, he sat down next to her. Safe distance, because she is still almost naked. Although he did make a good call, you know, not sleeping with her. If she got this fragile at the idea of a guy not wanting her. Although, actress, probably had her entire career built on how bangable she could be presented as. “It’s not that. Really. Just… I dunno, something about this feels incredibly off.”

And Zoe was crying again, good job Drew! Way to make her feel good about herself. It was breaking the golden rule of Dallas’s when it came to girls, but Drew scooted in and hugged her. Not a full hug, but he held her with one arm. Still a rookie play that Dallas would flag him on.

“I want to be clear, I like you. But I’ve been engaged, I’ve been in love, and right now what I want is someone to be my friend… who happens to be a good kisser.” He wanted that to come out  _ less _ creepy. But this is what he got, it was at least honest. Honest was good. She hadn’t stopped crying, but she wasn’t crying as hard. That’s a good sign right?

“So you were just using me?”

Drew stared at her for a moment, “You did sell me pills so I would go out with you. To mess with some people, who are admittedly jerks.”

Zoe looked away, she did have a hard time calling him out right now.

“I… my brother died this summer, I needed the distraction. And then my fiance left me. And then things got weird- the point is,” he stopped, he’d forgotten what the point was. Give him a moment. Look, she may be crying, and a little evil, but she was still almost naked and just tried to mount him like a showpony so- he’s got reasons to be distracted. “The point is I want to know what you want, the truth, and we can see if it works with what I want. Okay? No games?”

Zoe was staring at him, he was pretty sure that was a bad sign but he didn’t know what it meant. He was terrible at this, girls always had the upper hand on him. Most people had the upper hand on him if he wasn’t vigilant and prepared. “I… I hate how everyone at the school treats me. I just want someone who wants to spend time with me.”

“And I love spending time with you, not all my time. I do need to do other things. I graduate this year. And if you want that time to be naked, I… really can’t complain because you’re really hot.” Drew was trying to keep this professional, be the student body president and not a horn dog boy. 

Zoe’s hand dropped into his lap. Drew carefully removed it from his lap. He wasn’t trying to hide that he was at attention, but this wasn’t the time to get (more) distracted.

“But are you doing it to keep me, or because you want to- uh, fool around. Truth.”

“The truth is I’ve never done it, like anything. But I thought you’d see how serious I was about us if we did it.” She stopped trying to paw at him, and sat there as demurely as a girl can manage when she’s all streaky from crying… and not properly dressed.

“That’s not how you keep a boy, ever. It just gets everyone hurt,” Drew held her hand. “But I’ll stick around to talk. And I’ll gladly mess with Miles, he seems like a jerk.”

That got a smile out of her.

“And if you feel like you want to fool around, for you. We can. Just… not in someone else’s house. Okay?”

She nodded at that, got up and went to get her dress. Of course she smiled at Drew before bending at the waist to give him a perfect view- he really needed a cold shower now. Why did he turn down sex? Right, cause that would have been a disaster. “How do you end up getting to be really popular?”

That question took him by surprise, “You… don’t know?”

“Everyone I tried to make friends with decided they liked Maya better than me.”

Drew laughed, oh man. Man that takes him back, “Sorry… just, that’s exactly the stupid thing I did when I was your age. There was another guy on the football team who just…. Everyone loved. It sucked.”

Zoe had moved to the mirror and started trying to save face, literally. Fixing her make-up as best she could manage. “What did you do?”

“I threatened to out him as gay. It was a crap move, I regret it now.”

Zoe had stopped what she was doing at that, probably not what she was expecting out of that story.

“You don’t have to try, Zoe. Unless you are acting every time you’re around me, you just have to let people know you. And it should be okay. I was a bastard, but once I stopped trying to replace Riley it was fine.” Drew patted the seat next to him.

Zoe hesitated before sitting with him again. “But… if I get into a fight with her, they’ll all pick her over me.”

“Don’t go into this looking for a fight, and if you’re right, and she’s wrong, they won’t pick her. That didn’t happen with Maya’s sister. If she was wrong, people called her on it.”

“But she’s so perfect.”

Drew rubbed his face, then his neck, “She isn’t, but that isn’t the point. The point is you’re not competing with her. Just… make your own happiness, okay?”

“...Can I pretend we had sex?” Zoe asked.

Schemes, schemes he can work with. While he wasn’t totally on board with lying, he smiled. “How about this, if Miles and Maya are out there when we leave, I’ll pin you up to the wall and kiss you for a half a minute. Then you use the ‘I don’t kiss and tell line’ while acting like we totally did it. Less is more, right?”

Zoe thought this over, her smile growing with each second. She was definitely on the less morale side of things. He could make this work, maybe not sex but if he helped her it might make up for the crap he’s done. Zoe finally answered, “Deal, but if we keep hanging out and it feels right for us, would you be okay with being my first?”

“Only if you’re okay with how this might not be permanent, I could go away for college, and if I do… long distance is a bitch.” He held his hand out to her.

She took it with a firm, powerful shake. She went back to the mirror to make her hair look ‘just short of perfect.’ Drew figured out pretty quick what the game was.

They stepped out of the poolhouse.

Miles, Maya, Winston, and the rest of his party guests were watching.

Drew, dutifully slipped his hands under Zoe’s dress to get a good grip on her, hoist her up off the ground and plant her into the poolhouse wall and gave her a kiss. Her fingers played in his hair as she kissed back, putting all that West Drive acting to use playing it up. Drew wasn’t acting, he just loved kissing. It wasn’t a bad way to help a girl out. After a count of 25 he kissed her ear, “Good enough?”

“Definitely,” She moaned, expressively and loudly, as Drew put her down. Miles was glaring death, Winston was hiding his interest with a magazine (on his lap, not reading it), Maya was pointedly ignoring them to talk to someone near her. And Drew was pretty sure Zoe was the envy of the girls, and the interest of every guy there. “What, never seen a kiss before?”

Zoe ran back out to join her friends, she seemed a bit more confident. Drew guessed, but that could just be a trick. He’d find out later, if she wanted to talk about it.


	19. Girlfriends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request: Maya and Lola  
> Setting: During Next Class Season 1

“Hey, Tiny, man the grill while I work in the kitchen.”

“Um, sure man, one sec,” Tiny shouted back as he looked around the living room of the Matlin house.

Maya was amused by Tiny’s predicament. On the one hand, he had to help on the grill. Maya was, notoriously, incapable of making food more complicated than poking at the microwave. There was a reason she stayed so thin, salads and yogurt never set the kitchen on fire. However Tiny had a very good reason to stay where he was. Lola was cuddled up in his lap, pressed into him and sorta bemoaning he had to get up.

The pink haired fashionista apparently had just come off a double at the Cantina, hence her not being in the kitchen helping Zig. That was one of the surprising advantages of Tiny’s robbing the grade 10 cradle. Lola was nearly as capable in the kitchen as Zig, and what he made up for in spices and flavor she had him beat on flat out fundamentals of cooking everything just right.

Tiny scooped Lola up in his arms as he stood, he looked around again. And he sat her down on Maya’s lap. Leaving both girls equally surprised, “Look after this for me, will ya Blondie?”

“Gee, thanks, just what I always wanted.” Maya glared at him as he ran off, then she was glaring at Lola. Waiting. “Will you get off?”

“But you’re surprisingly comfortable for someone so skinny.” Lola didn’t drink as much as the rest of them, but sober Lola was fairly out there. Tired Lola was just a trip. Fortunately Lola was not that big, so Maya had very little trouble moving the pink haired child to the couch next to her.

Maya really wanted to know wat Tiny was thinking. He was all about Shay, and even Maya admitted Shay was a catch. Then all of a sudden he was dating this chick. Who barely lived on the same planet as them. She got confused by most movies, distracted by shiny objects, zero taste in music. Her only real benefits were food and clothing, and even then her commentary on clothes generally was cruel, even if she didn’t seem to get why her words were mean.

...Okay, from this angle, Maya could see some of the reason Tiny liked her. Glancing over as Lola curled up on the sofa to nap before dinner. But other than that reason Maya was having trouble getting it.

Maya hopped up and grabbed her notebook and phone. Lola was pretty out of it, so Maya might as well put this time to work. She listened to some rough tracks trying to figure out what they needed. Checking her notebook full of details on what she thought about doing with them. She was listening to just the drum track, trying to figure out what the guitar part should be.

“Why is the song so sad?”

Lola wasn’t as asleep as Maya thought, Maya stared at the other girl. “How did you get it was sad from the drum track?”

Lola shrugged. Clueless as to how few people could gather a song’s mood from the drum. It was like bass, you heard it but you didn’t really listen to it. You needed it but it was never given much credit. “You look sad listening to it.”

Maya put her notes away, trying to pull her mind out of the spiral it was heading down. She’d started working on this song as a tribute to Adam, a long time ago. But it never felt… right. Not for him, it could be about someone else. But without the right sound it wouldn’t be Adam’s. She didn’t realize she looked sad while she heard it, trying to put it together. “Why did you change your hair?”

“Um, the old pink was fading out, and after it grew in I needed to redye it anyway.” Lola didn’t seem at all bothered by the change in topic. Maya wondered what it was like, not having that much going on.

“No, I meant why did you start?”

“Oh, um… I didn’t like who I saw in the mirror. So I changed.”

Maya studied her, that was a surprisingly deep answer, although she wasn’t sure Lola understood how deep it was. It could just be the fact Lola was sleepy causing her to be a lot more logical. Somehow. “Just like that?”

“Well, the first time I dyed my hair it was a disaster. I did it myself, I was eleven, and I had no idea what I was doing,” Lola looked a bit nervous, sharing this. “But… afterwards my dad took me to a salon, and had my hair dyed properly. It was a deep royal purple! I loved it that color. I looked at myself in the mirror, and decided that was me.”

“So… why keep changing?”

“Because I keep changing. I got a little taller, I filled out, got tits, and a butt boys stared at. Suddenly I wasn’t the little girl I saw. So I made a choice to be something else.”

Maya’s head hurt, she didn’t expect to find anything inside Lola but fashion, gossip, and make-up tips. Instead she got… this. And this was pretty deep. Proper, sincere thought, maybe not any thought she’d ever have. But for Lola this was just who she was. And Maya knew, sorta, how it felt to not recognize herself in the mirror. She went through that all the time when she was Lola’s age. Actually she was younger than Lola when she felt that.

“Why are you sad again?” Lola’s eyes were full of confusion. No- no that isn’t it this time, concern. Maya tried to force a smile but Lola’s eyes didn’t change.

“I was remembering someone I lost. It’s nothing.”

Maya was a little surprised to feel slender, well moisturized arms wrap around her. Lola was soft and careful as she did this, Maya didn’t even complain as she hugged back.

“Hey, Tiny, Maya’s trying to Bogart your girlfriend.”

“She can have her for a few more minutes,” Tiny shouted back, “the burgers aren’t cooked yet.”

“Besides, Tiny gave her to me when he went to man the grill.” Maya smirked, casually pulling Lola back onto her lap. Lola was smiling at the attention she was getting.

“As long as I get her back in one piece, and she’s happy, I’m fine.”

“Hey girls, one of you set the table?” Zig asked now that the jabs were done.

Lola frowned, “Double shift.”

Zig held his hands up, not willing to pick that fight. He knew how working a double went. “Maya?”

Lola clung to Maya protectively, “Comfortable.”

Maya shrugged, smirking at her boyfriend.

Zig sighed, “Fine, I’ll set the table. How did Tiny and I end up doing all the women’s work…”

Maya and Lola exchanged a look, before the two devolved into a pile of giggling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I went with the easiest point to have the pair interact, and the easiest setting. Meaning there's some Zig and Tiny in there too. But mostly it's just Lola and Maya being goofy back when Maya was a lot less... intense. Honestly trying to give them stuff to talk about and coming up with very little is mostly on me being old.


	20. Something There

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FIRST NEXT CLASS 4 FIC
> 
> Centers around Frankie and Miles talking about Frankie's current lovelife.  
> Setting: During 410.

"My mom always says her best thinking comes after a good night's sleep."

"You're right."

"Great. I will call you…" I said, pulling my phone out. Only once I looked up did I see the issue, "a cab."

I pulled my comforter over Esme and left her on my bed, this wasn’t entirely new. Sometimes my co-girlfriend - former co-girlfriend - would just stop. She’d ended up asleep in my house more than once, and I let her sleep. Zig told me to always let her sleep when she found some. I wouldn’t think Esme was the sort to have bad nightmares, even when Jonah told me she was damaged for doing some of the things she did.

What the hell did Jonah know anyway, he was never her friend. Honestly I felt guilty even being a part of those conversations, now. Now that I knew Esme, she was really awesome. None of them ever saw that, I don’t think they wanted to anyway. I stayed and watched Esme sleep for a few minutes, maybe more, probably more. Before heading out into the house to figure out where I’d sleep. I didn’t want to risk waking her up.

“You’re up late.”

“Shit, Miles!” I half-shouted, controlled enough not to wake anyone but loud enough to get the point across to my stupid brother. Stupid… bisexual… brother. “Hey, um, you got a minute?”

“Swearing and needing my advice, must be serious.” He was in about 90% of his tux, clearly back from seeing Tristan. I thought they broke up, it was why Miles was moping around the past week. Doesn’t matter. Not what I need right now.

“Come on.”

***

“That’s Esme in your bed.”

“I know.”

“So you and her and Zig?” He was hiding his judgment well, I knew that this wouldn’t be the easiest. Given his history with both.

“Yes. Not anymore, he broke up with her. And I guess me by extension.”

“But you and her?” I couldn’t tell what that concern was for. About my choice or about my condition. It could easily be his remaining feelings about Esme, what she did to him. Or it could be about how I must be feeling right now. I could feel his stare but I didn’t look up.

“I… don’t know. She’s both the kindest person to me, and kinda the meanest.” I didn’t feel like lying, trying to build her up, push her away, any of the million things everyone else had done to her.

“But-” my brother paused, just briefly, and I could feel more of his stare, “Oh. Frankie.”

He could see it. He could see all of it. I wasn’t sure I could see all of it until he did. My face was pressed to his chest in a moment and he held me and stroked my hair. “I didn’t expect it. Okay? It was fun? And she helped me get past Jonah. And everyone else was doing so much and her and Zig were just so easy and-.”

“It’s okay. You can’t help who you love.”

That word. So big and so small. So powerful and so fragile. I had spent months hating Jonah because I was so sure I loved him. I was so guilty over Winston for loving me when I couldn’t love him back. And I had no idea what the word meant until now. And while Zig was great, he was charming, and fun, and no matter how great he is sleeveless he’s even better shirtless. But… it wasn’t the same feeling as when I was with Esme. How it felt to know she let me in, she liked me. She didn’t treat me like a child, or shun how much fun I was having. “I don’t even know if I like girls.”

“Franks. You love a girl. That’s kinda telling on this.” I hated how rational he was being, it was better when I was rational and he was a screw up.

“But she’s so…” I had one of the biggest vocabularies at the school. And I couldn’t find the right words right now.

“Crazy?” Miles unhelpfully asked.

“Hurt. And alone. And scared.” I felt a shift in Miles’s posture, I couldn’t see his face but something I said hit. “And I don’t know how to help her. Should I even help her?”

“Frankie, Esme isn’t my favorite person. But…” he pulled away and looked me in the eyes. I probably looked a little shook up having all this just seen by my brother. My brother who slept with Esme more than once, which I was trying desperately to ignore. And he was looking at me the way I wanted Dad to look at me, “Do whatever you feel comfortable doing to keep her safe.”

That… was the opposite of what I expected from him. He could probably see it.

“Tristan wasn’t exactly perfect either, nor was Maya. But if you love someone, more than anything, you fight to keep them safe. Why do you think I’m here with you and not throwing up like I want to.”

“Because of me and Esme.”

“And you and Zig and Esme.”

“Right. Sorry I can’t pick boys or girls you like.”

“But… if she makes you happy, fight little sister.”

I hugged Miles again, a lot less shaken and distracted this time. He really was the best brother I could ever deserve right now.

“Now if you excuse me I need to drink a bunch of bleach to get the idea of you and Zig out of my mind.”

...Almost the best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the request was Frankie realizing feelings for Esme. Which I already wanted to explore. I decided to do it by giving her a brother-sister moment with Miles because. Well, who else should she reveal her love for a girl to other than her badass bisexual billionare brother Miles.
> 
> So I really like the idea of exploring the space that is Esme/Frankie? It opens up a whole new side to Esme and over all vastly improved Frankie's character and space to work in. I wrote this in first person cause it felt it needed that 'in her head' touch I usually reserve for Maya fics. (And probably for Yael fics now because that'll just make pronouns easier if Yael is first person.)


	21. Significant Other

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yael is questioning previous assumptions about themselves. Involving Lola.  
> Setting: Post NC4, during the summer.

“Well, we’re done on our uploads, we’ll see you ladi- two, tomorrow,” Baaz tripped over his own attempt at charm, before a hurried escape with Vijay at his heels. Lola and Yael stared him down on his mistake before he ran.

“He… tries.” Yael offered.

“He almost got it right, that’s almost a good thing,” Lola shrugged and went back to her writing. She’d realized her vlogs were better if she had an idea of what she was doing and a bit of scripting beforehand.

As much as Shay and Frankie were still Lola’s girls, with it being summer she had drifted a bit away. She still saw them, just not as much. Who she saw a lot more of was Saad, although they had agreed even if that kiss was great, friendship was a better place than romance for now. Plus she was technically his boss. And there were the other Vloggers, who she saw almost every day.

Hunter was still involved but he generally skipped meetings and sent his work in digitally to avoid everyone. Vijay and Baaz had a few schemes in mind, and both were still friends with Hunter, so they vanished. Leaving Lola and Yael to work together. First was retooling all of Yael’s cosplays to match their new aesthetic and gender. Plus Yael kept wanting Lola’s opinion on their new clothes and items. Lola was a master at wardrobes, even more effective than Vijay. Although he had lent Yael a few hats.

Yael, however, was not working at this moment. They were just watching Lola as she typed away at a tablet figuring out what she wanted to say for her next video. Yael’s mind was full of thoughts and feelings and re-evaluating things she thought she had settled on months ago. But after days and weeks of this, and knowing Lola wasn’t with Saad, they had thoughts to work out.

“Lola?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you wanna maybe get something to eat tonight.”

“Sure what did you have in mind?” Going out to eat, as Yael thought about it, was something the two did more than once. They had hopped that they could have made this work out.

“I- no, what I meant was-” They paused as Lola looked up, big brown eyes studying Yael as they tried to put together what they meant. “I meant like a date?”

“Oh? But, you said you weren’t into girls.”

“I said that. But…” Yael found Lola just watching her incredibly distracting. Lola didn’t really have any judgment on her face as she waited for where this went. It was really unnerving given how good a friend Lola had been through all this. “Wait, shouldn’t your first concern be that you’re not into- people with my physical features?”

“Why would that be a problem? It isn’t true.”

Yael stared some more. “Since when?”

“Um… always? I just don’t make a big deal out of it.” Lola was acting like being bisexual- or was it pan- even Yael wasn’t sure how those varied, was just a normal part of her life. Which, Yael figured, it was. Lola’s sense of important details seemed to vary wildly. And never fully meshed with normal. Whatever normal was. Yael would have thought somewhere along the line Lola would have brought it up, if she wasn’t straight.

“Well, I want to see if it was just the fact that I kissed you out of the blue, and I was still hung up on Hunter.”

“And I was eating?”

“That too.” Yael groaned at the reminder. They didn’t really want to wait and get the chance to chicken out. And no matter how Lola supports them, Lola’s so… girly, it’s intimidating.

“I’m okay with it. You’re not working for me so it should be okay.”

Girly and easygoing. Basically everything Yael wasn’t, Lola was so sure of herself, what she was, where she belonged. Yael felt like they had to fight to be everywhere. “Really?”

“I do okay being friends with my exes when it doesn’t work out. And you’re fun to hang out with.” Lola smiled. Her stupid earnest smile that made some part of Yael’s heart melt. That, that smile, was why Yael questioned their earlier statement of not being into girls. Just the way Lola could look at them.

“Well, if you’re sure…” Yael certainly didn’t feel sure, but they were smiling all the same.

Lola sighed, it was a gentle amused sound. She walked around the table and got right in Yael’s face, “Just stop thinking too hard about this. Okay?”

Yael definitely had a retort to that. It was clever, a little sassy, and very on point. However Lola kissed them, on the lips, for longer than they thought kissing could go. They felt a weight in their lap after a few moments as the kiss kept going. “...right…”

“I would love to go to dinner with you. You’re going to wear that new vest I got you right?”

Yael nodded, dumbly. How was Lola so good at all this? Just… was it a girl thing, was that part of why they felt so… different? Then Yael noticed where Lola was sitting. “Why are you sitting in my lap.”

“It seemed right after I started kissing you. And you seem okay with it.” How did Lola even come up with ideas. Not that Yael was overly bothered, Lola didn’t weigh much and having her so close felt… okay.

“Let me go change then we can go.”

“Can’t wait.”

“Um, Lo?”

“Hmm?”

“I need you to get up for me to go change.”

“Oh! Right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not super sold on how I wrote this, I feel like there's a lot more room to explore Yael's feelings on gender in parters based on their own gender identity. However I kept fumbling over the words and decided to be cute instead.
> 
> I wrote this a few days ago but kept poking at it trying to fix it. This is me calling it quits on fixing it.


End file.
